Mayo: The hardest thing I've ever done

Buzz Williams said he knew Todd Mayo was academically eligible Monday but held him out of the UW-Green Bay game because he wanted to talk to his family first.

The Golden Eagles lost that game, 49-47.

"Could Todd have helped us in that game? Probably. Was that the right thing to do as a coach? No," Williams said. "But it was the right thing to do from a parents' point of view."

Williams had Mayo's family in from West Virginia on Thursday to make sure they knew that Mayo is in danger of never playing again if he drops off academically.

Mayo played 12 minutes in his first appearance of the year Saturday in the 84-80 victory against LSU. He was 0 of 4 from the field and 2 of 2 from the line with a turnover and an assist. But he did get valuable rotation time.

"I'm on track, but I'm not in a rhythm yet," Mayo said.

Mayo said sitting out those 10 games was "the hardest thing I've ever done in my life.'

He said he stayed in shape by working out at 5 a.m. and after 3 p.m. most days at a local high school.

He said his relationship with Williams, which was strained last year, continues to improve. "I've just got to regain his trust, along with the trust of my teammates and the fans," Mayo said.

Mayo said he first found out that he was not eligible right before the team left for the Carrier Classic.

"It hit me," he said. "I was emotional. I can't even describe the feeling. I didn't know if I was going to get through it. I knew if I didn't do what I was supposed to do, I'd never step on a D-1 court again."

When Williams called on Mayo to enter the game at 15:09 in the first quarter, he said he felt like a freshman again. "I tried to slow everything down."

About Michael Hunt

Michael Hunt is a former sports columnist and reporter for the Journal Sentinel.